Are the Berkshire conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by ?

Berkshire conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from directly.

Is it the case that all Berkshire solicitors on the conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As solicitors, in order to be on the conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the firms would be governed by the CLC.

I am buying a property in Berkshire. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with your lawyer must check the conveyancing requirements set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for . The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and are required to report to where a lease does not meet these provisions. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not limited to Berkshire.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Berkshire solicitor - who is on the conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Berkshire surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

My wife and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Berkshire and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers instructed a national conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Berkshire. Having lived in Berkshire for many years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)

I am buying a new build house in Berkshire benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my lawyer about this side-deal as it could put at risk my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one close by in Berkshire I like with a park and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Berkshire for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.